Gallery Elverket’s autumn and winter will be filled with an abundant, magical selection from a Finnish private collection.

The Finnish-Swedish Lassi Löylypoika Auterinen’s (b. 1964) catalogued art collection comprises approximately 600 artworks, 140 of which will be on display at Gallery Elverket. Löylypoika first became interested in visual art in the 1980s. His collection has grown especially in the last 15 years, when he noticed how affordably older art, in particular, could be bought at auction. He acquired his first artwork while on a summer job in the late 1980s. Participating in the activities of the Plastic Pony group, which occupied the middle ground between fashion and contemporary art in the early 1990s made him see art in a new way. Getting to know the visual artist Axel Sutinen at the start of the 1990s was a pivotal experience and made Löylypoika Auterinen an art collector.

The Löylypoika Collection is a diverse, highly personal selection of contemporary and older art. Besides paintings and sculptures, it includes numerous prints and photographs, as well as street art. The artworks date from the 18th century to the present day. They are primarily Finnish, along with some pieces by international artists, including from Sweden and the USA. The art in the Löylypoika Collection occupies many different emotional registers: among them works with a dash of black humour or melancholy. Having himself suffered from depression, and still occasionally living with anxiety and panic attacks, Löylypoika finds art and collecting it consoling and empowering.

For Löylypoika, personal experiences and contacts with artists have been of paramount importance. Getting to know artists, making friends with them, and keeping in touch are an integral part of his collection, while also conjuring up an image of different worlds meeting. Elverket’s exhibition will put the spotlight on a band of artists who have been important for him. These include Maija and Kristoffer Albrecht, Tuija Arminen, Jaana Erkkilä-Hill, Nora Helsinki, Anki Krooks, Axel Sutinen and Anni Viitasaari. Personal relationships with both artists and artworks are reflected in the collection. The works of contemporary artists – one focus of Löylypoika’s collecting – could be seen as a red connecting thread running through the collection. He further sees women artists as representing a force for change.

The collection mostly contains art that Löylypoika has acquired very affordably at auction. Occasionally, he has sought out works by specific artists whose art has touched him deeply. For example, he sees Ragnar Ungern is an important depicter of the maritime nature and clouds of the Finnish Archipelago Sea. Löylypoika’s other enduring interests include pieces by the artists of the November Group. He has also acquired numerous works by women artists of the Turku School. Artworks linked to his immediate family and relatives add an extra dimension to the collection, whether they be portraits, works they have made, or which are otherwise linked to his personal history and background. The exhibition will also contain some of Löylypoika’s own art, including needle-felt works and an installation.

The exhibition speaks of how, even today, a long-standing acquaintance with art and its makers, and an open mind, can result in a bold, multidimensional art collection. Gallery Elverket’s exhibition will be the first public showing of the collection.

A self-contained, three-channel video work, Löylypoika – A print on the wall (2025), by visual artist Elisa Alaluusua will be shown alongside the Löylypoika Auterinen Collection.

Juha-Heikki Tihinen, Ph.D

Program during the exhibition

Guided tours
At 12 noon on the first Saturday of each month
1.11.2025
3.1.2026
7.2.2026
7.3.2026
4.4.2026

Discussion series – A Look into the Collection Löylypoika Auterinen
Come and listen to experts from different fields share their views on the exhibition’s theme and works.
17.1.2026 at 14:00 – Antique Dealer Arthur Aminoff
7.2.2026 at 14:00 – Psychologist and Psychotherapist Tor-Erik Söderholm
7.3.2026 at 14:00 – Art Historian Leena Ahtola-Moorhouse

En Kul Tur
A day of art activities for the whole family 18.4.2026

The exhibition has been supported by

The Swedish Cultural Foundation in Finland, The Finnish Heritage Agency, The Arts Promotion Centre Finland (Taike)